ODD: One Desperate Defense
by Prisoner617
Summary: The ADVENT coalition has taken the administration of Earth into its own hands, but a battle for Earth's future takes place behind the veil of shadows surrounding the aliens' ultimate goals. Experience a novelization of Christopher Odd's Season 4 playthrough of XCOM 2 on legend difficulty, delving into the lives of the troops under his command to take back Earth.
1. The Day the World Went Away

**A/N:** Hello everyone. This fan fiction is based upon ' _ChristopherOdd's XCOM 2 Let's Play'_ series on YouTube (if you haven't seen them, I highly, **highly** recommend them), specifically Season 4. Reading other novel style takes on his other seasons (An Odd Bunch of Soldiers being one) has inspired me to create one of my own based on his latest (as of publishing date) season. I own nothing of XCOM, nor of Mr. Odd's videos, nor any of the characters in his campaigns (bar one - Priya 'Innocence' Korpal is one that I created and was lucky enough to have included in this season), and so the events and characterizations I've written following this message are purely interpretation on my part and may differ from what you might perceive the characters to behave like (it is fan fiction after all).

Again, I've taken quite a few liberties with the characters and their personalities/relationships (as of course, they are minimal within the game) so as to not just repeat what happens on the videos and of course to keep things entertaining. Will do my best to keep it current.

I hope you all enjoy reading as much as I have had writing and following his Let's Plays! Feel free to review and comment your thoughts; I'd love to know what you all think.

* * *

 **O.D.D.: One Desperate Defense **

**01\. The Day the World Went Away  
**

 _See: Part 1 - THE G.X2.C.O.A.T._

 **Mission Designation: OPERATION GATECRASHER**

 **ADVENT Surveillance District, Beijing**

 **February 27, 2035**

 **17:43**

"What's our probability of a successful mission?"

 _"Just under fifty percent."_

John 'Central' Bradford kept walking, unimpressed at the response. _Well, with that sort of optimism, it's hard to see why not.._

The streets bustled with activity as ADVENT troopers mobilized to ensure Unification Day celebrations would go off without any form of XCOM interference. Little did they know that one of their top five most wanted men had just arrived in town, blending in amongst the populace. The Spokesman had finally gotten a lead regarding the Commander's whereabouts. The thing was, the entire operation was a catch-22. They needed the Commander to run missions and lead the resistance to overthrow ADVENT, but they had no one in command right now to lead the Commander's rescue operation.

Ahead, a squad of ADVENT troopers began corralling a few citizens towards a security checkpoint. Bradford wiped his brow, shielding his face as he adjusted his trajectory toward a nearby alleyway. He kept walking, only craning his head over his shoulder when he reached halfway. No one had followed. Sighing, he brought his hand to his right ear and adjusted his comm unit.

"Menace 1-5, you've got the green light. I'll await the diversion. Operation Gatecrasher is a go."

 _"Copy that Central, squad green and ready to deploy."_

* * *

The Skyranger boosted through the skies, weaving between buildings as it drew closer to the LZ. Down below, the district appeared empty. Only a few pockets of citizens hung around the area as the Unification Day festivities prepared to ramp up in downtown Beijing. Towards the center of the district, the towering representation of an elder stood tall, as though the entire district fell under its watch.

Aboard the Skyranger, the rookies buckled as it slowed to a hover atop an old commercial tower. Inside, the lights flashed red. The soldiers unbuckled their restraints and grabbed their arsenals.

"Hit it!"

Someone near the ramp nodded, slamming the big green button. The ramp hissed open, sending a blast of wind to hit the troopers as they made a break for the ropes. Each one launched themselves out, snagging a rope and sliding down to the LZ in one fluid motion.

"LZ secure."

The sole man rose to his feet, surveying the surrounding area as the cold air prickled against his cheeks. Behind him, three women checked their weapons and maintained a standard group formation.

 _"Copy that Wardancer, move to place the X4 charges at the designated position. Your positions are concealed but you'll need to break it in order to achieve the mission objective."_

"Copy Central, we'll take it from here. Out."

Tobias 'Wardancer' Batch turned to his squad. "Alright team, our target is north-east of our position."

"Hard to miss," Ninon 'Longshot' Boyer said, scoffing in her harsh French accent as she pointed towards the silhouette in the fog beyond.

"Guess you live up to your nickname after all, Longshot," Ember 'Zoyuchen' Von Scorpio said, a hint of sarcasm peppered in her tone. Boyer scowled, using her middle finger to prop up her specs.

"I'm not detecting enemy movement in our vicinity," Rebecca 'Shep' Sheperd said, keeping an eye on their six and ignoring the banter. "Probably should stick up here and get a look-see of what's going on?"

"Sounds good to me," Boyer said, shrugging before shifting to the edge of the building. Wardancer followed suit, along with the rest of the unit as they took up positions behind the rails bordering the edge of the roof.

"About time someone got rid of that eyesore," Boyer said, scrunching her nose at the sight of the monument.

"Wait, shut up a second," Ember said, holding up her arm. "Got eyes on a hostile squad. Probably at least three of them standing around there, near the other statue that looks kinda like Adonis."

"Sheesh, and I'm the one that needs glasses," Boyer said, rolling her eyes. _Adonis? Does she even know what that is?_

"Anyone ever tell you that contacts probably would've made –"

"Alright," said Wardancer, cutting off Ember's retort. "Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna do this old school; standard overwatch formation. Ember, I want you to take the first shot."

Boyer opened her mouth to say something, only to be silenced by Wardancer holding up his hand. "I'll need you to hit them as they scatter."

A brief moment of silence overcame the squad as they scouted the troops ahead. Seemed like a solid plan.

"Okay," said Sheperd, relieved that the conflict had been put on hold. She gave a quick inspection of her rifle before steadying her aim. "On overwatch."

Wardancer nodded at Ember, signalling to the trooper closest to their position.

"Here goes," she said, lining up her sights. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed the trigger.

The squad watched as the tracer bullets went wide, careening into the statue's base. The ADVENT trooper reacted instantly, shielding his face as debris showered his helmet.

"Sun in your eyes there, slick?" asked Boyer, keeping focused on the rallying troops ahead.

"I swear I thought I'd adjusted these sights!" Ember said, wailing as her face flushed red. Her bandana clung to her skin, absorbing the nervous sweat oozing from her forehead.

"Head's up! They've got our position," Sheperd cried, taking aim. She fired a burst of her own, bullets ricocheting off the ground as the trooper outran her shots.

Wardancer and Boyer both poked their heads over the waist-high walls and opened fire. The bullets connected, though the damage had been absorbed by their armor. Both their targets stumbled out of sight and collapsed behind half-cover, gravely injured.

"Damn it," Sheperd said under her breath. "This definitely isn't the greatest of starts."

"No, it's not," Ember said, fiddling with her weapon. "Four out of five times, that shot's good for me."

"Shut it, they're on the move." Wardancer nodded at a trooper advancing near the truck. "Shit, keep your heads down!"

Ember and Sheperd both complied, ducking as much as they could. Boyer followed suit, only for her specs to slip off her nose and clatter on the ground.

"Damn it," she whispered, scooping them into her hand. She pulled her head up to slip them back on, hands trembling. Time however, seemed to slow as Wardancer caught a glimpse of the trooper taking aim at Boyer.

"Boyer, get down!" he shrieked. She turned to see the trooper line up his mag weapon against her face, and froze. The burst of fire caught her instantly, snapping her head back as her body flailed away from the rail. Blood spilled through the air, caking a little onto Sheperd's face as her jaw fell open in shock.

"Oh my God," said the two ladies in unison, their gazes fixed on their fallen comrade.

"No," Wardancer said, his breaths terse. He could feel himself hyperventilating. Hands shaking. His heart raced, threatening to leap out of his throat. "No, no, no, this – no!"

"Batch," yelled Ember, stretching her arm out after him. "Don't!"

But it was too late. Wardancer had already vaulted the railing. A clicking sound echoed as he dropped to street level. Dashing toward the two pillars nearby, he collapsed against it.

"This isn't happening," he thought desperately as a ticking noise continued to emanate from his belt. Glancing down, the pin of his frag grenade had somehow come loose in his daring escape, and he was now in danger of exploding all over the road. Eyes wide, he ripped the grenade off his belt.

"Shit, shit," he said in a flustered tone, the ticking speed increasing. Shaking, he tossed it in the air in an attempt to distance himself from the explosion.

Up on the tower, Ember and Sheperd could only watch as the blinking round object thudded at their feet, rolling between Ember's legs.

"Oh fu – "

A roaring explosion punctuated her cry with an exclamation point as the floor beneath them crumbled. The two ladies slipped through the gap, screams drowned out by the lurching of the building. Their bodies bounced off several pieces of debris, leaving a splat of blood before crashing onto the lobby floor, motionless. Wardancer stared in horror as Sheperd's lifeless eyes stared accusingly back at him, blood dribbling from her lips and onto her open palm. Beyond his cover, the trio of troopers had him boxed in, taking turns to open fire. He slumped against the wall, watching the tower, as well as the mission, go up in flames.

"Not like this. Not like this."

Taking a peek through a gap in the pillars, he spotted a trooper lining up a shot. Closing his eyes, Wardancer accepted his fate as everything else ceased to exist.

* * *

 **\- SIMULATION TERMINATED: CRITICAL MISSION FAILURE -**

"Damn it!"

Bradford slammed his fist on the panel as the corpses of his virtual soldiers lay dead on the streets of Beijing on the overhead monitor. The program terminated, followed by an on-screen query as to whether Bradford wanted to reboot the simulation using different variables or not.

"I don't know how the Commander did it, Lily," he said, burying his face into his hands. "We definitely need him, but I'm not sure this rescue plan will work if I can't even pass these damn simulations. I'm not a natural leader like him. I feel like I have the eyes of over ten thousand people on me."

"I don't think we have a choice Central," Lily said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Our back's against the wall. Tomorrow is Unification Day, and with it, our one chance to rescue the Commander. The resistance is counting on us. We've got to move forward with Operation Gatecrasher."

Bradford heaved a sigh, crossing his arms with a sullen look. The words 'Mission Failure' continued to blink on the overhead monitor. Tomorrow, it was going to be the real thing. But if they were to succeed, the Commander would be back in charge. Lily was right. They had no choice.

"Alright. Prep Skyranger. I'm setting course for Tijuana."


	2. Emergence

**O.D.D.: One Desperate Defense**

 **02\. Emergence**

 _See: Part 1 - Shen's Last Gift, Alien Hunters, SPARKS, Psi_

 ***TOP SECRET***

 **Mission Designation: OPERATION GATECRASHER**

 **ADVENT Security Block, Tijuana**

 _ **Operatives Kaycee Carmine, Trevor Fields, Spectre Protocall, and Sean Walker to provide diversion as Central Officer John Bradford attempts to extract a VIP critical to all future XCOM operations...**_

 **February 28, 2035**

 **11:36**

* * *

" _Alright everyone, I'm counting on you to get those X4 charges planted. This isn't a test, nor a simulation. That statue comes down or none of us are coming home, am I clear?"_

"Copy Central," Sean 'Shadow' Walker barked into the radio, wiping the droplets of rain sliding down his cheek. "We know what's at stake here."

" _Good luck. Out."_

Walker heaved a sigh. It'd been a while since he'd been out in the field, but he figured now was as good a time as any to get back in the game. He gave a quick study of his teammates. Beside him, someone who looked like they were well past retirement age had already opted to rifle through his backpack. Behind him, a woman and – something else stared back at him in complete silence.

Walker clapped his hands together, ready to go over the plan. "Alright, so here's –"

" _It's with great honor that I offer myself in service of humanity."_

Walker raised a brow, irked by the interruption. Somebody had given this thing a voice module? And they chose a cheery British one at that?

"Uh, this your toy there, doll?" Walker asked, shooting a bewildered glance at the woman.

"Kaycee," she said, her face mask barely containing the contempt in her voice. "And no, I can handle myself. I don't need some mechanical lug to protect me."

" _I can confirm my identity to be 'Spectre Protocall' sirs and madam, also known as 'Protoform'. I was commissioned to be of service to Mr. Odd."_

"Who?" asked Kaycee, creating some distance between her and the unit.

" _I would be happy to show you a photograph, but my connection to the public wireless access here in Tijuana is constantly interrupted due to high latency."_

Silence enveloped the group for a moment, leaving only the pitter-patter sound of the rain filling their ears.

"Oh, this is great," Walker said, a sarcastic smile spreading across his face as he stroked his chin. "This is what I came out of the shadows for?" His smile evolved into an exasperated chuckle. "It turns out that this new XCOM team is just a sad bunch of wannabes of the original team twenty years ago?"

Kaycee shot him daggers while the old man continued to ignore the situation.

Walker clasped his hands together in front of his mouth, closing his eyes and looking as though he was praying for a do-over. His initial assessment of the situation led him to believe their chances of success were slim. "I'm gonna take a stab in the dark here. Am I the only one on this rooftop with combat experience?"

"No," Kaycee protested. She could feel herself getting hot under the face mask, and it wasn't because they were in Mexico. "I've seen action before. I've hauled soldiers and equipment in and out of the battlefield."

" _My fabrication was only completed a few days ago. I find it hardly fair to have my combat modules judged before I can properly demonstrate my capabilities."_

Eyes wide, Walker turned to the old man kneeling beside him. "And what about you Mad Max? What's with the man of few words act?"

The man said nothing, instead opting to fiddle with his mini project. He'd managed to configure some kind of volatile IED.

He grasped it tight in his hand, nodding in approval at his handiwork. "I'm done. Let's go."

Walker raised his hands in frustration, permitting his rifle to dangle from the strap tied around his neck. "Whatever. If you all don't mind, I think I'll take point. Monument's just across the road to the north-east. I'm hoping I don't have to hold your hands as we make our way across."

Kaycee scowled, holding her arm out with an open palm. "After you then."

Walker approached the safety rail of the roof, surveying their surroundings. Not much action, apart from the few straggling citizens wandering out in the rain. Kaycee, Protocall and the old man followed, taking up positions alongside the rail.

"Psst," the man hissed, snapping his fingers and pointing at a nearby sports car. The squad turned their attention towards it and caught a glimpse of a hostile unit carrying out a routine vehicle inspection.

"Beautiful," Walker said, salivating at the opportunity for an ambush. "I fucking hate troopers."

"Should we let them come closer?" Kaycee asked, keeping her voice to a whisper.

Walker gave a quick scan of the street below. The nearby civilians were no threat, and there weren't any other ADVENT in sight, for now. "Sure, seems like a reasonable –"

"Frag out."

The team watched as the old man hurled his IED towards the enemy troopers. A flash of light erupted from the charge the moment it landed, followed by a deafening boom. Debris shot into the sky, followed by a large fireball that swallowed two of the troopers. Inside the cloud of smoke, there was essentially nothing left of them, bar a lone trooper struggling to keep himself alive. He squealed something incoherent, pointing up at the roof before attempted to flee.

"Oh no you don't," Walker muttered, reacting to the movement. Stabilizing his gun, he popped a few bullets into the enemy, knocking his corpse backward into the flames to take care of the cremation.

"Just like mom used to make," the old man said, dusting off his hands. Kaycee struggled to contain a laugh of amazement while Protocall simply stared at the chaos below.

"Not bad old man," Walker said, a genuine smile emerging as he slapped him on the back. "Not bad at all."

"Call me Fields," the man said, rubbing the patch on his back where Walker had just hit him.

"Alright. Fields it is."

" _We must press on. Central Officer Bradford requires us to destroy the Elder monument before he can complete his task."_

"It's not wrong," Kaycee said, shrugging. "We'd better keep moving before any more show up."

"Agreed," Walker said. "Fields, see if you can catch a glimpse of any more patrols before we secure the base of the statue. Err, Protocall, you should probably give him some company." He gestured at Kaycee and himself. "We'll stay up here to hold the high ground."

Fields nodded, sliding down the side of the building and taking cover behind a nearby semi. Protocall jumped after him, landed with a heavy thud before sliding into cover. For a moment, its sensors had picked up something in the distance, but it faded just as fast.

" _Potential hostiles at twelve o'clock. Recommended course of approach would be to lure them back to our position where we have the vertical advantage."_

Kaycee strained her eyes, but the heavy rainfall made it difficult to see very far and confirm Protocall's information.

"Fields, can you verify?" Walker asked, also struggling to get visibility on the enemy squad.

"Can hear something," came his brief reply.

"Alright, Protocall get back up here, we should get in position for another ambush. Fields, try and get eyes on 'em."

The mechanized unit made a dash back to the rooftop, creating some distance from Walker and Kaycee. Meanwhile, Fields shifted around the front of the truck to try and get a better view.

And just like that, the enemy spotted his silhouette through the downpour.

"They've seen me," Fields gruff voice echoed on the comms channel.

"Damn it, fall back," Walker commanded, prepping his rifle. Kaycee mimicked his actions, preparing for a fight.

"Got eyes on a pinky and another trooper," Kaycee said, her lips forming a cheeky grin. "Pinky's standing out in the open, we should be able to get a clear shot on the son of a bitch." She turned to Protocall. "Wanna go get 'em?"

"Negative," Walker said with a growl. "We've got the high ground for a reason, doll."

Kaycee's jaw twitched as she felt a burst of anger rise inside. "Yeah, and there's no way I'm sharing it with an asshole who thinks he's overqualified. C'mon Protocall, you take point."

" _Agreed madam, a flanking opportunity should lead to a greater chance of a successful execution."_

And with that, Walker remained alone on the rooftop. He clicked his tongue with impatience. "God damn it."

Protocall moved up the farthest, taking position behind an abandoned vehicle as Kaycee set up behind a lamp post.

" _Taking into account trajectory, wind speed, and precipitation, I have about a 67 –"_

"Just take the fucking shot before it drops out of sight," Kaycee said, still pissed about Walker's attitude.

" _Engaging."_ The mech rose out of cover and dished out an unhealthy burst of bullets. Five of them connected, penetrating the exposed pink skin of the Sectoid. It screeched in pain and frustration, only just realizing its position had been compromised.

"Batter up," Kaycee said, lining up her own shot and firing. The Sectoid took a moment to comprehend what had just happened before succumbing to its wounds. It crumpled to the ground like a puppet without a string.

"Not bad," came Walker's voice on the comm channel.

"Gee, thanks." _Must've taken everything you had to give me that one, hot shot._

Above her, she saw a trail of bullets rain down from Walker's position, colliding with the trooper behind a set of benches. He staggered, struggling to keep himself fully covered.

"Damn it," Walker yelled, trying to get a better look at his quarry. "How the hell is he still alive?"

Protocall took a shot at finishing the job, only for its bullets to go wide.

" _Bollocks."_

Kaycee smirked both at the robot's language and the fact that she had a decent view of the trooper's exposed shoulder.

' _Why, I'd be honored to steal your kill, Walker.'_ Shutting one eye, she focused her attention on the trooper and put him out of his misery.

"Kill confirmed," she said, glancing up at the roof. "Enemy's down."

"Okay," Walker said, grumbling as he slammed another magazine into his rifle. "You've proved your point."

"Don't you ever call me 'doll' again."

Walker rolled his eyes, his cheeks glowing red as he swallowed his pride. "Alright, sure, I promise." He mentally slapped his own forehead. _Next time you give your squad mates shit, at least prove you're not a rookie too._

He continued. "We've still gotta get to the objec –"

"Wait, shut up." Kaycee held up her arm, tapping her ear. Footsteps. Heavier than the normal troopers too. "Listen. They're headed this way."

" _Acknowledged, activating Overwatch."_

Reloading, Kaycee took a deep breath to calm her nerves. A few seconds later, another group of three wandered into view, spotting the carnage already produced by the XCOM squad.

"Open fire," Kaycee yelled, dispensing lead in the direction of the enemy unit. The bullets traveled between two of the soldiers, connecting with neither. Walker bit his lip, withholding a quip. He'd displayed enough arrogance already, and they'd done more than enough to prove his perception of them to be wrong. They'd all gotten a kill so far, except for Protocall. Either way, it hadn't caused a catastrophe for them just yet.

Realizing the situation, the ADVENT officer commanded his troops to scatter. At once, they made separate dashes for cover.

"Prioritize the officer," Walker said, concentrating on the officer's path. Both he and Protocall fired simultaneously, catching the ADVENT officer in the crossfire and sending him sprawling into the mud.

"Two left," Fields said, startling Walker. With all that had been going on, he'd forgotten Fields had been next to him on the roof the entire time.

"Moving to flank," Kaycee said, pushing up closer to the enemy and falling behind full cover. Her heart racing, she aimed around the corner and put down the nearest trooper.

" _Fire in the hole,"_ came Protocol's warning as it hurled a grenade towards the last trooper. The explosion sent shrapnel flying in all directions, though the trooper's anguished cries betrayed him, revealing that he'd survived.

"Pin him down," Walker said, giving Fields a nod. The old man leaped off the roof without protest before proceeding to open fire on the trooper's last known location.

But there was nothing but flames.

' _Something's wrong'_ , Walker thought, keeping an eye on the statue. Sure enough, his gut feeling proved to be correct, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the trooper sneaking around the side in an attempt to get the drop on Protocall.

"Protocall, watch out!" Walker shrieked.

The mechanized unit spotted the enemy at the last moment and made an evasive maneuver, but the magnetic bullets from the trooper grazed its upper torso. Within seconds, the unit began to go haywire.

 _"Critical system failure, retreating from area of operations."_

Sparks flew as drops of rain sank into the exposed wiring of the armor. Protocall went on the fritz, screaming incoherent babble as though it were a human being.

"Son of a bitch." Walker cursed, shifting vantage points. Fields attempted a revenge shot of his own, but the bullets couldn't quite connect. Arranging himself to have a flanking opportunity with the high ground advantage, Walker didn't even have to try to aim.

"Dodge this."

The trooper could not.

* * *

"Area seems secure," Kaycee said, swallowing as she stood surrounded by ADVENT corpses. "Gonna set the charges."

"Confirmed," Walker said, popping a flare and dispersing it on the rooftop. "Meet up here for extraction. Fields, make sure you recover Protocall. No one gets left behind, not even a machine."

Fields remained silent, jogging over to check on Protocall.

 _"System partially restored. Defragmenting drives and restoring non-critical functions. Operational capacity at 20%. Hi, I can confirm my identity to be Spectre Protocall."_

"Mission accomplished guys." Walker nodded to himself, watching as Kaycee planted the X4 and Fields wrapped Protocoll's mechanical arm over his shoulder.

 _Guess they can handle themselves after all._


	3. Rebirth

**O.D.D.: One Desperate Defense**

 **03\. Rebirth  
**

 _See: Part 1 - Shen's Last Gift, Alien Hunters, SPARKS, Psi_

 ***TOP SECRET***

 **Mission Debrief: OPERATION GATECRASHER**

 **Resistance HQ, [REDACTED]**

 _ **Successful diversion allowed for Central Officer John Bradford to extract the VIP safely with no casualties to report. Repairs to Protocall's heuristic algorithms will keep him from action for a month. Standing by as remaining XCOM recruits prepare to board the Avenger...**_

 **February 28, 2035**

 **16:01**

* * *

 _I guess this will be my new home._

A flash of lightning shot across the sky, allowing Priya a brief glimpse of the large alien craft that XCOM had recently repurposed looming in front of her. Swallowing, Priya approached the loading area, squishing the mud beneath her combat boots as the thunder boomed. The rest of the new recruits were ahead, climbing up the ramp with their own duffel bags in silence. It was hard to tell who they were or what they looked like with the dark clouds circling above.

Completing her ascent, Priya arrived in the Avenger's loading bay soaked from the rain. Containers and shelves took up most of the room, with some boxes bearing the ADVENT logo. To her left, an Asian woman stepped out from behind some tool racks, accompanied by what appeared to be a custom made GREMLIN. She gave the group a nod, acknowledging their presence.

"Welcome aboard," she said, tossing a wrench on a workbench and holding up a hand. "I'm Lily Shen, chief engineer aboard the Avenger." She took a brief study of the squad before frowning. "I was expecting to see five of you though."

Priya stood on her toes behind two men, worried that Shen hadn't seen her. Only then did Priya realise that there were, in fact, only four of them.

"Sorry!"

Everyone turned their attention to the voice bellowed from outside at the same time. At the foot of the ramp, a lone woman waved her arms in the air, climbing up the ramp with a hurried pace and a backpack in tow.

"Wow, what happened to you?" Shen asked with her eyebrows raised. The woman's hair had blown out like a plant and her rugged armor looked singed and dirty. "You look like a toothbrush that fell into a sewer."

"Struck by lightning," she said, giving a nervous laugh with a cheery smile on her face. "Can't happen twice though, can't it? Isn't that the saying?"

The group gave her a blank stare as everyone remained quiet for a few seconds. Eventually, one of the men bearing a deep scar gave an awkward cough to break the silence.

"Sorry," she said, puffing herself up as she formed a salute to Shen. "Molly Kerrigan, reporting for duty, ready and waiting to kick some booty."

The two men exchanged looks of bemusement while the Indian woman placed a hand over her forehead to cover her own cringing.

"Oh sweetie," she said, leering. "That lightning bolt must have done a real number on you, huh?"

"Actually, I've been through worse," Molly said, her smile faltering as she appeared to cycle through her memories. "Long time ago now though."

"Kiryu-Kai right?" Shen asked, a look of sympathy washing over her face. "You took part in the operation, didn't you?"

Molly nodded, keeping quiet. The mere thought of Kiryu-Kai appeared to have sucked the happy go-lucky nature out of her. Priya frowned; unsure about what Kiryu-Kai actually was, but felt bad all the same that Molly's initial excitement had been wiped out just like that.

"I'm better now though," Molly said, taking a deep breath before recovering her pleasant attitude. "Just tell me what to do and consider it done!"

Everyone turned back to Shen, sharing the same sentiment.

"Alright then," Shen said, attempting to shift away from the topic of painful memories. "We've got several bunks on the upper deck. You'd better get moving because our Skyranger should be back in about an hour, then we're wheels up. Central Officer Bradford will brief you all on our operational objectives when he gets back. Any questions, I'll be down in engineering. Otherwise, you can find our chief scientist Dr. Tygan down in the laboratory." Her nostrils flared at the mention of his name.

"I've actually got a question right now," the scarred man piped up. Now that she got a good look at his face, Priya thought he looked a little familiar. Did he work with the original XCOM unit alongside her brother? He looked just old enough that he could have…

"Yes, Mike?" Shen asked, scratching her head.

"Is this a non-smoking flight?"

She glared at him, unamused. "Yes."

He grumbled, fishing out a nicotine patch from his pocket and slapping it on his exposed shoulder. "Figures."

Everyone else began to make a move. Priya knelt down to retrieve her bag, only to rise up and find the other Indian woman standing in her way with a grin.

"Shall we go find ourselves a room to sleep in?"

"Uh, yeah – sure."

The woman recoiled, feigning offense. "No need to be nervous darl', I don't bite." She raised her hand up for a high five. "Name's Jasmine."

Confused, Priya indulged her and returned the high five. "I'm Priya."

"Ah, a fellow Indian hmm? Where abouts are you from then?" She nodded towards the doorway ahead where everyone else had already gone through. "You don't sound like you're fresh off the boat if you know what I mean?"

"My parents were from Kolkata, but our family moved to Nevada when I was still a baby. Yourself?"

"Me?" Jasmine asked with a slight giggle, leading them up the stairwell to the upper deck. "I didn't stay long in India either. Moved to the UK because my parents wanted me to study there but I ended up pursuing – well, other, more exciting interests instead." A sly smirk spread across her face.

"Oh," was all Priya could muster as her voice trailed off. Glancing up, she noticed a couple of words printed on a banner hanging over the door ahead.

' _Vigilo Confido'_.

"You alright love?" Jasmine asked, worry in her tone as she furrowed her brow. "You don't look so thrilled to be here. Take a wrong turn somewhere?"

"No, it's just that XCOM – it's just really hard for me to be here."

"Aww c'mon," Jasmine said. "We're gonna be travelling the world and killing aliens together, you and me. S'pose with the other guys and that weird chickie too. What's not to love?"

Priya shook her head. "It's nothing, just personal issues is all. I have a history with XCOM."

"Okay," Jasmine said, nodding. "No worries, I totally get it. But don't keep it bottled in, yeah? It's unhealthy to live in the past and all that jazz. Just want you to know that you can always count on me." She gave a thumbs up pointing towards herself. "I'd be happy to take you under my wing; you could be like the _bahan_ that I never had."

 _Bahan._ Priya felt the word 'sister' sting her heart. Ali, her older brother, would always call her that. It was his term of endearment to her. Now some total stranger was throwing the word around like it meant nothing.

"We've just met," she said coldly, giving a dark look. "So please don't call me that."

Jasmine nodded, her face carrying a shit eating grin. "Ooh, a feisty one. Alright, fair enough, let's get to know each other first. But I'm willing to be that we're gonna get along real well."

Priya rolled her eyes and continued forward.

 _This woman's nuts. Whatever she's on, I definitely want to stay away from it._

* * *

"Just what I need," the scarred man said as he rubbed the nicotine patch on his shoulder. "After all I've done for this organization, can't even have a bloody cigarette."

Caleb 'Chancellor' Carter followed slowly behind him, his heart burning with anxiety. He'd seen that scarred face once before, a while back when he was working his way up the ranks of the ADVENT coalition. He'd signed off the man's dossier and accompanying rap sheet, authorising the detention and torture of one Michael 'Magic Mike' Mason.

"You know those things'll kill you, right?" Carter said.

Mason sniggered. "When you've seen and been through as much shit as I have son, you wouldn't wanna die any other way."

"Well, then I'm sure you could have one when no one was watching."

"Nah," Mason said, shaking his head as he led the way up the stairs in a huff. "That's how conflict starts, and I don't wanna start shit over nothing."

He sighed, tossing his packet of sigs into the trash receptacle nearby at free throw range. "Anyway, what's your story?"

"Me?" Carter bit his lip, wary not to spill too much information.

"Yeah, your story, your life? How'd you wind up here?"

"Uh, well I used to intern down at D.C. before the war."

"Really?" Mason stopped in his tracks, curious. "You weren't down there when the U.S. officially surrendered to the aliens, were you?"

Carter hesitated a moment, averting his eyes. "N – No, I was long gone by the time the powers that be came to decide that."

Mason shrugged, running his fingers through his blonde hair. "Can't blame you for running. I was down there with the original XCOM team when the shit hit the fan. Couldn't distinguish between an arse and a head in that clusterfuck." The memories of the battle in the Capitol building still pinged him with guilt. "Still, it's a shame you weren't there to stop 'em signing that damn treaty, not that you coulda changed their minds at that point."

"Yeah," Carter said under his breath as he tipped his fedora forward and followed after Mason. "Real shame."

Carter had been young and ambitious. A naïve little boy that thought he could change the world. Of course, it had to turn into a classic case of 'be careful what you wish for'. The higher he climbed on the ADVENT totem pole, the more he realized how wrong he'd been. Now he was working with a ragtag bunch of soldiers he'd once considered terrorists limiting humanity's progress. The whole idea of signing up with XCOM given his history reeked of danger, death and stupidity. But his dream of changing the world still hadn't faded. Only this time, he'd be reversing all the damage he'd done. He would try and redeem himself, or die trying. A change in tactic was probably what was needed. Perhaps he would fare better with a sword than he had with a pen.

Still, nobody else needed to know just yet where he'd really come from. Especially not Mason.

"What about you?" Carter asked, despite knowing all the grizzly details already. "What's your story?"

"Not much to say," Mason said, digging his hands into his pockets. "You already know I was part of XCOM back in the day."

Caleb felt his heart drop as his throat dried up. "Sorry, what?"

"Well, I just mentioned that I was in D.C. with them, didn't I?"

"Right," Carter said, giving a mental sigh of relief. "Yes, you said that."

Mason continued, shrugging. "After the war, I ended up doing time for war crimes and all that revolutionary bullshit ADVENT spewed up. Beat the shit out of me and were probably expecting me to croak in there like some little asshat. Even gave me a new makeover." He drew a line over the scar on his face with his finger. "But lucky for me, for whatever reason, somebody gave enough of a damn about me to break me out. And the rest they say is history."

"I see."

Mason pulled out a folded card and opened it. "This is Max and Maggie, my brother and sister back in London. We're triplets."

He held it out for Carter, who took it gently from his hands. Taken in much happier times for sure, the photo showed the three siblings hanging from a homemade hammock with Mike presumably in the middle holding Max and Maggie's heads under his arms. Caleb did his best to show his surprise at what they looked like. The truth was that he'd already read Mason's file and even considered trying to capture them to use as leverage in the interrogations against Mason.

"Nice," Carter said, handing it back.

"They're the only reason why I signed up for this wild ride again." He admired the photo for a moment before returning it to his pocket. "If Bradford hadn't come through with his promise to keep 'em safe, I'd have flipped XCOM the bird and told 'em to shove this 'revival' project up where the sun don't shine. But Central did what he promised, so now here I am, man of my word."

 _Yep. Mason is the probably the one person who can never know about what I've done._

"Excuse us."

Glancing over his shoulder, Caleb spotted the three women waiting for him to step aside. They brushed past him in the narrow corridor, with Mason immediately turning on the charm with a handsome smile and a casual 'hey'. Molly smiled back before turning into the bathroom to clean up while the two Indian ladies returned a simultaneous nod as they continued on, still having a heated conversation.

"You comin'?" Mason asked, dropping the charm act as he held the door open to one of the dorms.

"I'll probably hole up in the other room," Carter said, giving a weak smile as he glanced at the door opposite. "I'm a – loud snorer."

Mason shrugged, tossing his bag in. "Suit yourself big guy."

He shut the door behind him, leaving Carter alone in the hall.

* * *

An hour later, the Skyranger had returned to base just as Shen had advised. The thunderstorm had moved on, leaving only a few misshapen clouds to obstruct the glorious crimson sunset glowing across the valley. As the Skyranger ramp lowered, the squad sent to complete Operation Gatecrasher rushed out, trailed by a gruff older man hauling a bulky figure on his shoulders. Whoever it was, they were encased in some kind of hazard suit.

"Get him to the lab," the man cried out, pointing towards the stretcher Tygan had wheeled out. The accompanying soldiers aided in loading the body onto it.

"Let's hurry," Tygan cried, pushing the stretcher with the figure's leg still drooping off the side. "We must remove the implanted chip without further delay! Central, Lily, I'll need your assistance for this."

"Whatever you need doc," Central said, chasing after him alongside Shen.

"Who or what the hell was that?" Walker asked, panting as Fields and Kaycee stood behind him with Protocall in tow.

" _Facial recognition analysis was a 97% match,"_ Protocall said, still moving as though it was going through a seizure. _"I am all but certain that the subject is Mr. Odd, the former XCOM commander."_

Walker looked on as Shen and Central disappeared around the corner, a look of amazement in his eyes.

"Then it looks like XCOM's coming back online."


	4. The Manchurian Soldier

A/N: Sorry, had some Windows update issues with my laptop and couldn't properly write (didn't have Word on my desktop so had to do it at work, gah!). I will definitely endeavour to get these out faster and will do my best to keep it enjoyable. Thanks again for reading and supporting, I really appreciate your time and comments :) Again, this is all just my random interpretation of the characters and the events of the video so have taken some liberties. Please don't hate me! Anyway, on with the show...

* * *

 **O.D.D.: One Desperate Defense**

 **04\. The Manchurian Soldier**

 _See: Part 2 - 5% Club_

 ***TOP SECRET***

 **Mission Designation: OPERATION SWEATY PYRE**

 **ADVENT Patrol Zone 08, Outskirts of Los Angeles**

 _ **Operatives Caleb Carter, Trevor Fields, Michael Mason, and Sean Walker deployed to destroy alien relay transmitting critical ADVENT data. Upon objective completion, squad to secure area of operations and recruit local informant for Lily Shen's engineering team…**_

 **March 06, 2035**

 **06:56**

* * *

Carter shifted his feet with anxiety as the hum of the Skyranger's air conditioning system kept the cabin from total silence. The Commander, codenamed 'Odd' had recovered enough for Central to cede his authority, and he'd wasted no time in throwing himself back into work for the past week. Tonight, most of the crew had been fast asleep when Carter and his three squad mates were summoned to the bridge to review an urgent mission briefing. An informant had tipped them off about an imminent data transmission near Los Angeles relating to one of ADVENT's latest projects, as well as requesting an engineer's role aboard the Avenger. Half an hour later, the four of them boarded a flight bound for the west coast of the United States.

"What's with the arctic gear?" Walker asked, acknowledging Carter's hat and scarf in an attempt to loosen everyone up. "We're headed to California, not Alaska. You weren't supposed to take the op name literally."

Mason sniggered, turning away as Carter shrugged. "Not like we're heading for Santa Monica. Besides, it's early morning. The sun's not even up yet."

He slid his hand beneath the scarf to rub the back of his neck, allowing his fingers to glide over a rugged scar. ADVENT had implanted a chip there to keep track of his movements back under their employ. Of course, the first thing he did the moment he escaped the city center was to clumsily remove it. Thankfully, for whatever reason, they hadn't given him the neural chip like the one Tygan or the Commander had, or he would've been truly fucked.

" _Menace, ready to deploy."_

The lights flashed red following Firebrand's announcement, and the team rose to their feet. Grabbing their arsenal, the team braced as the Skyranger slowed to a hover over a derelict street beside an intersection. Minutes later, the team made a fast rope descent into the darkness below and secured the LZ.

Cool air greeted them as their eyes adjusted to the darkness. The sky housed a shade of navy blue, allowing them a small window of opportunity to use the night to their advantage. For now, only the sound of crickets filled their ears.

" _Menace 1-5, the communications relay is up ahead. Move in and destroy the target. This is a covert op, but expect resistance as you engage the objective. Good luck. Out."_

Walker listened to the sweet sound of his sniper rifle cocking, a smile flickering on his face before Fields took off running.

"Damn it Fields, wait up," Walker said, watching the man of few words dash ahead.

"I like his style," Mason said, chuckling before making his way down a different path. Walker sighed, shaking his head as he chased after Mason. On the move, Walker glanced to his right, catching sight of some ADVENT troops loitering outside the neighboring office building.

"Shit," he said, sliding behind a tree. He tapped his eyes with two fingers before pointing at the enemy. "Eyes on a hostile patrol. Two, possibly three tangos."

"X-rays," Mason said, his gaze following the direction of Walker's fingers. "Call 'em x-rays."

"Copy, got them in my sights." Carter sought cover next to them, concealing himself as best he could. The rest of the squad watched as the ADVENT trooper and officer wandered out of sight for a moment.

Carter peeked around the corner, regaining vision on them through the office windows. "They're inside."

"Fields, mind falling back a bit?" Walker said, pressing a finger into his comm unit. "We're gonna prep an ambush."

Fields obliged, re-positioning as Walker snapped his fingers at Carter. "Hey winter soldier, open things up. Rest of us will take out any stragglers, understood?"

Carter gulped, heart pounding as he processed the command. "Uh yeah, sure I'll give it a shot."

The two ADVENT soldiers chattered amongst themselves in their alien tongue, unaware of XCOM's presence. Carter took a deep breath, working up the courage. Beneath their helmets, Carter knew what they really were, what they were capable of, and who they worked for. He could do this. After all, he'd chosen to do this, hadn't he? He'd chosen to atone for all of his sins, and the path to redemption would have to start here.

Bracing the stock of his rifle against his shoulder, he caught the officer in his sights. Dispelling any remaining doubts, he unloaded on the officer through the window. The burst of bullets punctured his target, staggering him in surprise and pain. His companion reacted at once to the crashing glass, sprinting for cover.

"Open fire!" Walker yelled, following the officer with his scope. Mason didn't even wait for the order, firing his own set of shots at the trooper.

 _Breathe. Pull. Exhale._

Walker squeezed the trigger with care, letting out a deep breath as the bullet penetrated the officer's skull and sent him sprawling to the ground. Outside, the gunshot echoes began to fade as silence enveloped the street once more.

"Nice shooting," Mason said, surveying the damage and confirming the kills. "Both x-rays down."

"You alright Fields?" Walker asked the old man. "You didn't even fire a shot."

"No need," was all he said as he regrouped with the squad. Walker gave an exasperated groan, ignoring the sly grin on Mason's face. Carter sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow in relief. He hadn't screwed up just yet. That had to be a good sign.

"Right, well, let's get moving. Tired of waiting around already." Mason limped forward to get eyes on the local diner bordering the intersection. The building looked dilapidated, along with the rusted cars strewn across the parking lot.

"Easy there tiger," Walker said, noticing Mason's limp. "You probably shouldn't be the one to scout. Whatever those bastards did to you in that prison, they definitely got their money's worth."

Carter bit his lip, ignoring the comment. Mason however, gave a laugh as he took forward cover. "Then you can see why I want to be on the front lines. I wanna be first in line to blast these bastards back to wherever the hell they came from."

"Fair enough."

"Taking elevated position," Fields said, approaching a vertical pipe by Mason's position. Scrambling to the roof, he laid eyes on a security detail posted near an old diner nearby. "South east side."

Walker took another peek through his sniper's scope, confirming the location of the three x-rays just as they pointed towards Fields' position on the roof, snarling.

 **" _Mors blahten!"_**

"They know we're here," Mason said, pushing towards a withered cactus standing beside the old office building. The enemies dispersed, seeking cover from the encroaching XCOM squad. They had a firefight on their hands.

"Moving up," Carter said, taking cover behind some solid rock near Mason. Poking around the corner, he took a wild shot in the dark, missing them all completely. Above, bullets rained down from Field's gun, hitting nothing but dirt and asphalt.

"Christ, did we blow our load too early?" Walker's shoulders slouched after watching the chaotic display. "Take your time and make your shots count." Looking to prove his point, he took a moment to steady his rifle.

"Say cheese arseholes," Mason said, priming his flashbang and hurling it into the air. "Flash out!"

The grenade clattered to the ground, rolling down the middle of the street. The squad averted their eyes and shielded their ears as it came to a stop. A second later, a flash of light burst from the cylinder, followed by a deafening screech.

The troopers screamed in disarray, firing wildly in Mason's general direction. The shots whizzed by, smacking into a nearby surveillance tower instead.

"Fuck it," Mason said, feeling the heat. "I'm re-positioning!" He made a dash across the street, catching some movement from the corner of his eye. A sectoid had moved out into the diner parking lot, hissing in its alien tongue. Mason almost did a double take before grabbing some cover behind a fence. The little buggers had grown bigger since the initial invasion. He'd heard rumours about these new sectoid models, but hadn't seen them up close until now.

Walker also spotted the sectoid as it scurried behind some crates. Seconds later, the creature inched out its bulging head and emanated a storm of bright purple energy. Mesmerized at the sight of it, Walker hesitated as the luminous light thundered towards the nearby rooftop.

" _Argh."_

"Fields!?" Walker cried out, trying to get vision on his comrade. "Fields, do you copy?"

There was a beat as some groans flooded the comm channel. _"Yeah, I'm - fine. I'm fine. Whatever that thing was, it missed. You guys doing alright down there?"_

Walker furrowed his brows, taken aback by his sudden babble as Carter moved to replace Mason's position at the cactus, standing by with a medkit just in case. "We're okay for now. You sure you're alright buddy?"

" _I'm positive, don't worry. Come on, we need to finish our mission and take down that alien relay. I think I know where it is, just follow me."_

' _Something's not right,'_ Walker thought, watching as Fields dropped off the roof and approached Carter from behind. _'Could he be…?'_

Fields stood for a moment, rocking back and forth as he stared at Carter's back. His hand crept towards his sidearm and slid it out of its holster.

" _We know who you are."_

The voice wasn't human. Carter spun around, only to come face to face with Fields' revolver, his violet eyes and his sadistic grin.

"Oh shit!"

Carter threw out his hand like a flimsy shield. He closed his eyes, stomach dropping as a gunshot rang out. But nothing hit him. Heart pounding, he lowered his hand to see Fields' pistol shaking uncontrollably in his hand and a fresh bullet hole between his own feet. Fields dropped the gun, growling in pain as he grasped his head and fell to his knees. Behind Carter, another trooper advanced on their position, unleashing a volley of bullets into the cactus.

"Jesus!" Carter yelled, falling flat on his ass in his struggle to keep himself covered. "Need help here now!"

 _Maybe defecting wasn't such a great idea after all._

In desperation, Carter poked his rifle around the cactus and fired blind towards his adversary. No death cries responded to his barrage of bullets, though he could hear the faint sound of steam being released before a thundering explosion rocked the area. Everything went silent for Carter as his eardrums rang. The shockwave nearly blew his fedora off as debris flew through the air, smacking into one of the troopers with enough force to kill him.

"Carter!?" Walker's voice sounded as though it were underwater, miles away.

"I'm okay!" he said, his own voice drowned out. "But the sectoid's gotten to Fields and is mind-controlling him. You got another flashbang Mason?"

"Negative," he barked. "Only had the one."

"Then we're gonna need to take that sectoid down ASAP! Don't think Fields can hold out much longer."

"Copy," Walker said, scouting the immediate area. As expected, the sectoid continued to channel its energy from behind cover.

 _Breathe. Pull. Exhale._

But Walker released his breath too soon, causing a slight shift in trajectory and missing the target by an inch. "Son of a bitch."

"I'll take care of this little twat," Mason said, slithering around the fence for a flank. He approached the alien from behind and raised his rifle for the execution. Hearing the movement, the sectoid glanced over its shoulder and locked eyes with Mason.

"Fuck yourself."

Its jaw dropped in confusion before Mason clocked its face with his rifle butt and fired a burst into its forehead.

"Sectoid's down, repeat, sectoid's down. Has our resident 'professor' returned?"

Carter's breathing eased as Fields regained his composure, the realization of what was going on crashing over him.

"Fields, you back with us brother?" Walker asked, worry in his voice.

Fields looked confused, studying his surroundings. "Yeah. Thanks."

"There's still another trooper somewhere." Walker surveyed the street, struggling to get a visual. "Grab the high ground and finish him off if you can."

"On it," Fields said, re-ascending the pipe to the roof. Spotting his foe tucked behind a vehicle, Fields didn't hesitate to eliminate him. "Stay down."

"Nice work guys," Walker said, sighing with relief as he clapped. "Fucking well done."

"Not yet," Fields said, waving at his squad mates below before pointing past them. "More bad guys."

Their hearts sank as they all turned to see a flare deploy at the intersection, indicating imminent ADVENT reinforcements.

"Are you freakin' serious?" Carter said, staring at the pulsing red glow. He'd had enough excitement for one day already, and the scarf and hat weren't helping with the buckets of sweat he'd been producing.

"We don't have time for these bastards," Mason said, spying on the diner. The team they'd just mopped up had been positioned near it like some sort of guard detail. Surely, this was the place. But first, they needed to handle the immediate problem. "Let's get an ambush set up and scrub 'em."

"Read my mind," Walker said, reloading his sniper rifle and fishing out his revolver. "Nothing like a bit of close quarters combat."

The squad took up hiding spots, establishing a kill zone with multiple crossfire angles. As expected, a dropship flew in to drop a trio of ADVENT units into the AO within minutes. Unfortunately for the reinforcements, they'd barely managed to run ten feet before getting vaporized.

"Just like the old days of turtling and overwatching," Mason said, flicking his cigarette butt at the pile of corpses before lighting another. "Let's get moving, we're running out of time." He advanced forward, laying eyes on the building interior ahead. "I've got a visual on the objective I think."

"You think?" Walker asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, it's some kind of weird statue, but it's alien alright. Definitely looks dodgy. I'm gonna take a shot at it."

Carter and Walker exchanged glances, with Carter shrugging. "Sounds like it might be the relay."

"Alright, take the shot," Walker said, peering through his scope to form his own opinion of the statue. "I'll finish it off if it's still standing."

Mason complied, firing a stream of bullets at the foreign object. Sparks shot out of it, all but confirming it to be the relay. It still looked operational however.

"Alright, let me at this bad boy." Steadying his weapon, Walker took the shot. The foundations buckled as the bullet sunk in, allowing the 'statue' to sway for a moment before collapsing in a heap. "Did that do it?"

" _Status confirmed Menace 1-5, we're no longer picking up any signals from the relay from up here. Looks like you terminated the transmission. Great work."_

The squad cheered as Walker dusted off his shoulder with a smile. "Copy that Central, moving on to the next objective."

" _Copy._ _Be advised, we're still picking up enemy hostiles within your vicinity. Make sure you neutralize them before recovering the engineer."_

Walker turned to the rest of his team. "You heard the man. Everyone reload and get refreshed. We're not done yet."

The group obliged, reloading their weapons and checking their equipment. Fields still had his custom made IED that he'd personally fabricated, referred to as his 'volatile mix'. Walker and Carter had one grenade and a medkit between them.

"Fields, you all good to scout ahead?"

"Moving."

Walker rolled his eyes at the blunt reply. _At least he's back to normal._

"Enemies."

The rest of the squad perked up at Fields' exclamation mere seconds after surging forward. Sure enough, two troopers and another sectoid arrived to the party. Fields' heart raced as he spotted the pink alien, terrified that it would attempt another invasion into his mind. He began to hyperventilate, looking to put some distance between himself and the alien.

"I see 'em," Walker said, firing at the sectoid. The bullet skimmed its shoulder, splattering yellow blood across the pavement. Cursing, Walker withdrew from his scope in time to spot a trooper's silhouette climbing up to the diner's roof.

"Shit, shit, shit."

Walker dropped his weapon and hit the deck just as the magnetic bullets came crashing on his position, missing him by a hair. Gasping, Walker recovered his sniper rifle as a firefight echoed in the distance, followed by a loud thud.

"Taken care of," Mason said, watching the trooper fly off the roof. "You okay back there, Walker?"

"Peachy," he grumbled, back on his feet. Another trooper had taken position near the remnants of the relay, attempting to get the flank on a panicked Fields.

"I mention to you guys how much I fucking hate troopers?" Walker fired a round at the flanker. It let out a howl of pain before crumpling to the ground, lifeless.

"Hah. You're a bloody legend mate," Mason said, the death cry acting like music to his ears.

Walker shrugged as a smirk spread on his face. "With my kind of luck, that means I'll probably die soon."

"Just one sectoid left," Carter said, its hisses sending shivers down his spine. "Can anyone see it?"

"Grenade out."

Fields hurled his secret recipe in the form of a frag grenade towards the diner's corner, looking to get revenge for the mind control earlier. The wall shattered from the explosion, leaving the sectoid vulnerable without cover. It roared with fury.

"Thank you," Walker said, taking aim.

 _Breathe. Pull. Exhale._

The sectoid's corpse flew backward into the shadows and out of sight.

"Was that all of them?" Carter asked, still in cover.

" _Status confirmed. We're not picking up any more ADVENT signals down on the ground. AO is clear."_

"Woo! Looks like we're just in time for breakfast, huh boys?" Mason said, nodding at the cliff faces to the east. A dark magenta hue replaced the sky's shade of navy blue as the sun began to rise. "All in a morning's work."

Carter stepped out from behind the ice machine, spotting Fields crouched behind an old SUV. Fields' mouth hung open a little as he recognised Carter, returning a dark look.

"Come on," Carter said, offering his hand with a comforting smile. "We've still gotta find that engineer."

Fields studied the gesture, only to shake his head and rise to his feet on his own. Fear etched on his face, the old man turned his back and hurried off in silence to join the other two, leaving Carter alone in the parking lot. Carter's stomach churned as he swallowed, burying his face into his hands. Did he know?

 _Shit..._


End file.
